Beer: Reviews & Ratings

This is an incredible beer. I usually drink this in the pint cans, but also pick up a growler of it now and then. The initial pour is beautiful, from the amber/orange rich color and a full rich head to the opaque/cloudy appearance. A refreshing citrus, grapefruit flavor hits you first, a great hopness that is also balanced, with a clean/crisp finish. This is a great beer from a humble neighborhood brewery. Please all heed my review and find this beer. (455 characters)

The best pale ale that I have had to date so I feel that I owe it a proper review.

A: Fluffy head that lingers for a bit, then dissipates to a thin line with great lacing.

S: Just divine, grassy, citrusy, dope, all in one.

T: More of the same. The flavor is so nice and never gets old. You can literally drink eight 16 oz. cans while golfing and still not get tired of that flavor. No fatigue at all, even after playing 10 games of bags while still drinking The Cutter.

M: slightly creamy but still crisp, right on.

O: Again, the best pale ale I have had, and I have had quite a few. Even more awesome that it is brewed in Chicago. Probably truly deserving of a "5" in that this beer cannot be improved upon. Great job Half Acre. (735 characters)

My go to beer and in my opinion the best American pale on the market right now. Great floral citrusy nose with just the right amount of hops. At the same time this beer is balanced is not too alcoholic to drink more than one, at the end of the day this is a great beer that has great finish and mouth feel. (306 characters)

Aroma: "This is the best smelling beer ever!" Tons of floral and grassy hops. I could sniff this all day.

Appearance: Cloudy, golden-orange. One of the Half Acre employees simply refers to this beer as "orange juice."

Flavor: A flowery little hop bomb with a crisp, citrus finish.

Mouthfeel: Soft and smooth. Lightly coats your mouth.

We had a party with a keg of this back in September. There were approximately 40 people in attendance, and we had no problem killing it in one evening. It's an extremely easy drinking beer, and not too strong. Even the non-beer drinkers, and non-hop heads, were loving the Daisy Cutter. It just tied for 3rd place at the Chicago Beer Society's Fall Tasting. And most exciting is there's going to be a Daisy Cutter Hot Dog coming soon to Hot Doug's!! Needless to say, we'll be there.

Never pass up Daisy Cutter if you find it - this is a fantastic beer! (892 characters)

Pours a gorgeous hazy golden color with a nice frothy head that is full and fluffy. As the head slowly diminishes, I take a sniff. I'm so blown away by this ale...Never had so much hops hit my nostrils in a pale ale. Even most IPAs don't have such a strong hop scent. Very impressive...this smell is out of this world. The taste is just as amazing. Very strong hop presence with very little malt characteristics. Absolutely breathtaking. Clean and crisp with lovely citrus fruits on the back of the tongue. Lemon, orange, grapefruit, and a tiny bit of melon. This is the most complex and flavorful pale ale I've ever had. Better than a handful of IPAs I've had (and I've had many.) Absolutely amazing beer. Great Job! (717 characters)

Rtrain12 shared his growler of this fine beer with me... Just getting around to typing my notes up.

I poured this into a standard pint glass.

Nice bright golden color with some reddish highlights. Very clear and bright with a beige head that fought its way to about 1 and half fingers. Respectable amount of lacing too.

Smells sweet with a nice fresh citrus hop note. Malt is mellow while the hops are bright and fresh. This is the pale ale equivalent of a huge Cali DIPA!! Floral and grassy notes lead into a lemony citrus bite with a slightly dry bitter finish. Very well made beer here. Big on flavor, but refreshing and light at the same time.

The body is a little light of medium, and the beer has loads of carbonation. This is a beer I will pick up every chance I get. Simply nothing bad to say about the flavor, nose, or finish.

My only complaint with this one is that Ryan didn't tape his growler up and much of the carbonation has run out of the bottle on me. I can live with that because even with less carbonation than it should have, the beer still tastes amazing. (1,081 characters)

Wow they call this a pale ale but in all honesty this should be an IPA except that it is a little light on the body and mouth feel. The taste however is amazing for a top notch APA or IPA, beyond expectations. Grapefruite citrus, pine very slight lemon just superb. Another BIG plus is that you have this so well balanced true hop champion done right without too much ABV...amazing. One of the tops! (399 characters)

Well hot damn I get my hands on this one! I had been dying to try it for months and thrilled when a fresh bottle hit my porch. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 01/06/2010.

The pour was outstanding and for pale ale the best I had ever scene. Nice and deep amber in color with a huge head of white that just towered over the top of the glass, sticking to everything in sight and really just immense. Never really settling it just hung there, boldly taunting me to take a sip, which I kindly obliged. Aroma of fresh grapefruit and ripe citrus just dominates nearly everything around me and really propelled this sticky, hop fueled monster to a whole new level. Such a full profile of flavor and aroma, it was almost unheard of for a pale. Just immeasurable grins coming across my face as I take sip after sip of rich citrus hops that coat the palate and make my lips stick to my teeth. Perfect carbonation and beyond drinkable.

Overall I do not how this really could have been improved on. It was just amazing. Straight forward hop bomb in a 5 percent package, just wow. Everything I wanted it to be and more. I would have this hooked up in my house every day. Seek it out, it's up there with any of the best I have had. (1,259 characters)

I lovw this beer. I cant say ive had an american pale ale that is as well balanced as this. Its my recent beer crush. I am fortunate to be living in chicago now and have ready access to it. This weekend i will be sure to introduce on on my friends from cincinnati to it when he visits! (285 characters)

Pours a hazy golden color with a generous, fluffy white head. Great retention on the head, and beautiful sticky lacing down the glass.

Holy crap, am I smelling a beer here, or did someone slip me a bag of the sticky stuff? This smells exactly like some dank weed. Beyond that, there's also hints of some freshly cut grass with a note that reminds me a bit of mustiness. Seriously great smell. Dankest aroma I've ever experienced from a beer.

The taste is phenomenal. I've never had a hop kick this strong from a beer with an ABV this low. Great, fresh hop taste with layers of fresh cut grass, pine and cirtusy notes. They really blend well together. Behind that, there's a hint of bready, caramel malt - just a hint though, and it combines with the hops to form a perfect medley.

This is without a doubt the best APA I've ever had - I'd put it right there up against the big boys of the IPA and DIPA universe. Absolutely world class. I'm literally hurt right now that I can't buy this locally. Changed my life, man. Get this shit. The dankest beer ever. (1,058 characters)

Picked up a 4-pack of their 16oz cans from the brewery, poured into tulip.

Looks pretty standard, about 1 1/2 finger head that stuck around for a while, leaving some nice lacing. Barely a hiss as I opened the can. Clear, copper color.

Aroma. I can't say enough about this. I just cut the grass, poured this beer, and it was like I was back outside with my nose under the lawn mower. I love it. Earthy, floral, grassy, hoppy, almost pot-like. Grapefruit, other citrus.

Good mouthfeel, not overly carbonated. Almost creamy.

Tastes almost as good as it smells. Hops, flowers, grass, man this is excellent. Grapefruit, more hops.

Overall perhaps my favorite APA so far. I live in Chicago south suburbs and wish it was more readily available. (742 characters)

T: Tangerine, pineapple and mango are upfront. This is followed by clean sugary caramel, navel orange juice, papaya and lemon juice. Finishes with grapefruit pith and a hint of pine. Slightly drying with zests from grapefruit, lemon and orange.

M: Light-medium bodied, juicy, crisp, clean and dry.

O: Incredibly balanced, easy drinking and full of juicy hops. Tons of tropical and citrus fruitiness going on. This is easily one of, in not, THE BEST American Pale Ale I've ever had the pleasure of trying. (765 characters)

I'll start this review with a confession: this is my favorite all-around, everyday drinking beer.

Pours a hazy golden color with an off-white, fizzy head. Aroma indicates that it's nicely dry-hopped, with pine needles and grapefruit coming through brightly. The taste is clean and slightly bitter, but more understated than the pungent nose.

I could (and have) drink this all day long. It's interesting enough to keep your taste buds happy, but not overpowering such that it kills them off. It's perfectly balanced and infinitely enjoyable. As a session beer, it has few peers -- but it's equally as enjoyable to just sip one.

An outstanding flagship beer that needs to make its way to NC, stat. (700 characters)

A- Pours a hazy orange with a nice two finger white lace that slowly dissipates into a nice ring around the glass. There is some nice cling to the glass and a fair amount carbonation activity after the pour.

S- Nice notes of citrus hops with a subtle piney undertone. Very reminiscent of an IPA.

T- Very nice and balanced hops flavor in the taste. I am picking up grapefruit and some piney hoppy flavor near the end. Good balance in the flavors. This is a little bitter for an APA and might turn off some, but I am quickly falling in love with this beer.

I received this as a christmas present from a friend of mine who lives in Chicago. He went to the beer store and asked the guy for some advice, he recommended this and said that it was one of the best APA's around. I must say that he is absolutley correct. This is a great tasting APA and I am very upset that I can't get this where I live. A very easy drinking beer that I could see myself having in all sorts of places. Thanks Brian! (1,050 characters)

Pint can into a snifter. Pours a hazy golden with a 1 finger head of sticky white foam. Smells of pine, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, etc. Medium weight, very crisp and refreshing. Taste is pine, hops, grapefruit, citrus, and honey. Perfect amount of bitterness for a pale ale. Malty finish with a bit of a dank aftertaste.

It's probably a good thing, for the sake of my bank account and marriage, that I can't get this beer locally. This is one of the best beers I've ever had, and probabaly THE best pale ale, in terms of a session beer. It's perfect in all aspects. All hail the Daisy Cutter. (600 characters)

A: Hazy and straw-blonde with a two-finger eggshell head that has average retention. A visually pleasing specimen.

S: This is the best smelling, most fragrant beer I've encountered. Huge, huge nose is full of citrusy and piney hops. I want an air freshener made from this beer.

T: The hop character really comes through in this beer. It's not puckeringly bitter, but showcases the apparent quality and incredible flavor of the hops.

M: Crisp and refreshing. Pretty high carbonation, but it goes well with the character of the beer.

D: Just awesome. A delicious IPA that showcases bold hops with great flavor. It doesn't take the enamel off your teeth, so you can enjoy a few with people that may not dig IPA's as much. Either way, this makes a great summertime beer but can still be enjoyed year round. It's freaking good.

Half Acre has done it again. Having tried about five or six of their brews, this one takes the cake. It's a bit on the mild side compared to some of the hoppier IPA's out there. A (very) little bit of sweetness brings out some of the character of the hops including a tropical/citrus and pine flavor that are perfectly balanced with the bitterness. This is quite simply my IPA of choice. (1,215 characters)

What an unbelievable combination of drinkability (I know, I know...) and taste! I picked up a 4 pack of tallboys this weekend while visiting Chicago and I'm kicking myself for not buying a case! This has IPA taste with Pale Ale smoothness. It's not bitter, but its not tame. Its light and fruity with zero alcohol presence and leaves an delicious aftertaste.

Truly remarkable for a Pale Ale. I'd order this over a hundred IPAs I've had! Well done Half Acre. (459 characters)

Pours deep gold with a medium veil (bordering on cloudy). A luxurious, rocky head leaves some tenacious lacing on the side of the glass. Not quite the look that you'd expect from an APA, but attractive in its own way.

The smell, on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic. The hops aren't overwhelmingly powerful, but the complexity on the nose is impressive: heavy grass and lemon peel take the lead, but there's a lot of mango and a bit of pine in there as well. The smell actually reminds me a lot of some of the complex wet hop beers that have been making the rounds over the past couple of months.

The mouthfeel is dead on: light bodied with vigorous carbonation.

The first sip reveals that Half Acre is taking this style as far as it can go before people just start calling your beer an IPA. If you find IPAs too hoppy, this beer will not provide you shelter. Vigorous and complex hop notes dominate. The grass and pine launch the opening salvo on your taste buds, followed by grapefruit and raw hop bitterness. Just when you think that the beer might fall into an inappropriately bitter finish, a light lemon tang, coupled with some biscuity malt notes, restores order and balance. With that slight detour, Daisy Cutter actually manages a refreshing finish. Truly a world-class APA. (1,292 characters)